1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the service industry. More particularly, the present invention provides for a method and system for providing virtual capacity to a provider of services, such as freight delivery services.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of wireless communication systems is well known for transmitting information between fixed stations and one or more geographically dispersed mobile receivers. For example, satellite communication systems have been used in the trucking industry for many years to provide messaging and location information between fleet-owned dispatch centers and their respective tractor-trailer vehicles. Such systems offer significant benefits to fleet owners because they allow almost instantaneous communications and real-time position information. An example of such a satellite communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,170 entitled “Alternating Sequential Half Duplex Communication System and Method”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,274 entitled “Multiplexed Address Control in a TDM Communication System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,926 entitled “Dual Satellite Navigation System”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,810 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Automatic Event Detection in a Wireless Communication System,” all assigned to the assignee of the present invention and all incorporated herein by reference thereto as if repeated verbatim immediately hereinafter.
In the satellite communication system described by the above-mentioned patents, fleet-owned dispatch centers communicate using land-based systems such as telephone or fiber-optic networks to a hub, otherwise known as a network management facility (NMF). The NMF acts as a central communication station through which all communications between vehicles and dispatch centers pass. The NMF comprises a number of network management computers (NMCs), each NMC responsible for providing a communication path from the NMF to geographically dispersed vehicles in the communication system using a geosynchronous satellite. The geosynchronous satellite comprises one or more transponders, which are electronic circuits well known in the art for relaying high frequency satellite communication signals between remote locations. Each NMC is assigned an individual transponder, with each transponder operating at a unique frequency in order to avoid interference with communication signals on other transponders. In the satellite communication system of the above-referenced patents, each transponder is capable of handling the communications needs of approximately 30,000 vehicles. Each vehicle in the communication system is equipped with a transceiver, otherwise known as a mobile communication terminal (MCT), for communicating message and location information to a pre-designated NMC via the geosynchronous satellite.
In a typical transaction where trucking companies, or carriers as they are known, with the capability and flexibility to transport large amounts of goods to multiple destinations efficiently, a carrier is called upon to transport goods from one location to another by a customer, otherwise known as a shipper. Examples of shippers might include almost any manufacturer of goods. Sometimes a carrier will have a standing contract with a shipper to transport goods that the shipper desires to be transported. The shipper provides delivery instructions to the carrier comprising details of the shipment, including, for example, when and where to pick up the goods and where to ship them. Generally, these instructions pertaining to a shipment are provided to the carrier or its representative (e.g., a vehicle operator of carrier) in the form of a document commonly referred to as a “bill of lading.” The bill of lading may also provide other pertinent information concerning the shipment, such as a description and quantity of the goods being shipped.
Many times a carrier will not have any available vehicles for transporting goods which a shipper desires to be shipped, especially a carrier that is obligated by contract to transport goods of a shipper. If a carrier does have an available vehicle, the capacity of the vehicle may be too small for the quantity of goods to be shipped. In any of these situations, the carrier will either have to inform the shipper that it cannot transport the goods, or hire a third party carrier to transport the goods. The latter alternative would be especially demanded of the carrier if the carrier had previously contracted with the shipper to transport goods belonging to the shipper.
After the goods have been assigned for transportation by a carrier to a third party carrier, the carrier needs to be kept apprised of various events throughout a typical delivery cycle. Typically, the carrier relies on a third party network management facility having an associated third party dispatcher for being kept informed of the status of goods being transported by a third party carrier. For example, upon arrival at a predetermined pickup destination, a truck driver of a vehicle for the third party carrier may contact a dispatch center associated with the third party carrier to alert the dispatch center of the time and location of arrival. It is then the responsibility of the third party dispatcher to inform the third party network management facility of this information, who in turn would then transmit the information to the carrier so that the carrier may furnish the information to the shipper. Similarly, after the truck of a third party carrier has been loaded at the pickup destination, the truck driver may send a message to the third party dispatch center indicating the time of departure, the location from where the departure occurred, and a description of the goods that are being transported. Another example where a vehicle operator for a third party carrier might transmit a status message to the third party dispatch center is when an unscheduled stop has been made and/or when the vehicle departs from the unscheduled stop. All of these possible events in a delivery cycle are important information that should be communicated to the carrier. Many times personnel in the third party network management facility and/or the third party dispatch center forget to transmit this information, or are tardy in doing same.
Although communications between drivers and dispatch centers and/or network management facilities have been made much more convenient and reliable using satellite or terrestrial-based communication systems, a variety of problems still persist in the reporting process. For example, a driver may forget to send a message upon arrival or departure from a planned pickup destination, causing confusion at the dispatch center as to the status of goods in transit. Or, a driver may send a message long after he has departed a pickup indicating that he is just now leaving the pickup location, to avoid possible negative consequences of forgetting to send a timely message. Furthermore, a driver may not wish to inform the dispatch center when making an unscheduled stop, for a variety of reasons. Thus, with respect to transportation information that should be transmitted to a carrier from a third party carrier, the carrier relies heavily on the third party dispatch center, on the network management facility, and on the third party truck driver. As previously indicated, because of the problems of relying on truck drivers, dispatch centers and/or network management facilities, a carrier may not be kept properly abreast of various events throughout a third party carrier delivery cycle.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that overcomes the deficiencies of a carrier relying on a third party service provider for information on goods being transported. What is more specifically needed is a system and method for a service provider to conveniently receive communications from a third party service provider while the services are being performed.